


Fallin' Out

by bayoublackjack



Series: Love in London [33]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Break Up, Broken Engagement, F/M, Infidelity, POV Martha Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 13:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3611718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bayoublackjack/pseuds/bayoublackjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Overwhelmed by her guilt, Martha finally comes clean with Tom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fallin' Out

Martha told herself that she would end it.  After confessing to the girls about her affair, she vowed that she would do the right thing.  The first few days went well and she managed to not allow her thoughts to drift to Dr John Smith.  But when Tom went away for a weekend with the lads, Martha found herself in John’s waiting arms again.

Despite John’s insistence that she spent one more night and for them to tell Tom together, she returned home alone.  As soon as she got to the flat, she took a shower and threw her clothes in the wash.  Martha felt dirty and disgusted with herself.  Tom didn’t deserve this and she didn’t deserve him.  He needed to know what she had done.  She had to tell him to truth about everything.

Tom arrived home in high spirits not long after Martha had finished up the laundry.  She greeted him as naturally as she could manage.  She didn’t kiss him the same way she used to do, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care.  She reckoned it was the first option though.  After all the time they had spent apart, maybe a half-hearted kiss was more passionate from his perspective.

“How was your trip?” she asked once he settled in and they moved to the lounge for a chat.

“It was good.  It was great seeing the old gang again,” Tom told her as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.  “Some of them I haven’t seen in ages.  Since university at least.”

Martha sat next to him, curling her legs underneath herself.  “I take it they’re all doing well?”

“So so.”  Tom shrugged.  “Work life is good, but most of them are failing miserably on the romance front.”

“Oh?” Martha questioned with hesitation.

“Yea.  Tom nodded.  “Jez never could settle down with one girl.  He was always legging it before things could ever get serious.  Alfie is in the middle of a divorce.  Poor sod.  Imogen took the children and went to her mum’s.”  He sighed.  “And Nigel is probably the worse off.”

“Isn’t he the one that got married last year?”

“Yep.”

“What’s his issue?”

“He told us Evie is begging him for a divorce.”

Martha frowned.  “I thought his wife’s name was Alice.”

“It is,” Tom confirmed.  “Evie is his mistress.”

Martha looked troubled.  “You mean he’s having an affair?”

“Pathetic, isn’t it?”

Martha shrugged.  “I don’t know.”  She fiddled with the hem of her shirt.  “I’m sure he has his reasons.”

Tom scoffed dismissively.  “As far as I’m concerned the only reason is greed,” he insisted.  “He may be my mate, but he’s a selfish prick.”  He shook his head.  “I mean who does that?  Who in their right mind finds themselves in a happy, stable relationship and thinks ‘hmm I think I’ll fuck up for a shag’?”

“I slept with someone else,” Martha blurted out suddenly.

Tom stared at her in confusion as if he were trying to make sure he had heard her correctly.  “What?”

“While you were gone,” Martha began weakly, but she forced herself to finish louder.  “I slept with someone else.”

Tom laughed mirthlessly.  “Are you having a laugh?”

“No,” Martha answered seriously.  “Why on Earth would I joke about something like this?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t…I don’t know much of anything at the moment,” Tom said, taking a moment to collect himself.  “Why?”

“It just happened.”

“Sex doesn’t just happen.”  Tom paused and took Martha by the hand.  “Was it…did someone force himself on you?”

Martha closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.  “It was consensual,” she confessed.

At those words, Tom quickly dropped her hand and rose to his feet.  “Who was it?”

Martha opened her eyes.  “Someone from the hospital.  Another doctor.”

Tom began to pace.  “How many times?”

Martha watched him nervously.  “Does it matter?”

Tom paused to look at her with fire behind his eyes.  “Yes it matters!  I need to know if it was just a one off or were you fucking him behind my back the whole time.”

“It wasn’t the…” Martha exhaled through her nose in a quick huff.  “I wasn’t until after I got back from Vegas.”

“How many times?” he asked again.

Martha knew the number, but she doubted he actually wanted to hear it.  “A few,” she said vaguely.

“In our bed?”  Martha looked down and he scoffed loudly.  “Oh…you bitch,” he retorted venomously.

Martha was on the verge of tears, but she fought to keep them in.  She knew she deserved the criticism, but it still hurt to hear him speak to her that way.  “Only once,” she told him as if it would make any difference.

“Is that supposed to make it better?” he asked incredulously.  “Yes, dear.  I shagged another man in our bed but it was only the one time!  No harm no fucking foul,” he mocked.

“No, it doesn’t make it better,” Martha replied, scurrying to her feet.  “But I regretted it after it happened.”

Tom scoffed.  “Apparently not enough to stop you from shagging him over and over again.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?  How bloody complicated could it be, Martha?” Tom demanded angrily.  “I asked you to marry me.  You said yes to me.  You moved into my flat.  You told me you loved me.  Now you’re saying that you shagged someone else because it was  _complicated_ ?”

“You weren’t here!” she answered back in a trembling voice.

Tom scoffed again.  “So this is  _my_ fault?”

“No.”  Martha shook her head.  “It was all me.  I just…I just felt so lonely all the time.”

“I asked you to come with me.  I  _begged_ you!”

“I know,” Martha said.  “But I had a life here in London.  My family and friends.  My job.”

“Your fuck buddy,” Tom added bitterly.

“It’s not like that,” Martha replied quietly.

“It’s not like that?  It’s not like that?!”  Tom exhaled sharply.  “How else could it be?  Seriously.  Make me understand this, Martha.  If it isn’t about sex, what else could it  _possibly_ be about?  Unless…”  He paused.  “Are you…are you in  _love_ with him?”

Martha’s eyes went a bit wide.  “What?”

“Are you in love with him?”

“I don’t…”  Martha shook her head.  “I-I don’t…”  She felt the tears she had been holding in begin to fall.  “I love  _you_ .”

“Do…you…love…him?”

“I don’t know,” Martha croaked.

“Bullshit,” Tom replied.  He advanced on her quickly and she recoiled instinctively despite the fact that she knew he’d never physically harm her.  “Don’t you dare lie to me, Martha.  Not anymore.  Not about this.”  He exhaled sharply through his nose.  “Yes or no.  Are you in love with him?”

Martha closed her eyes, but it didn’t stop the tears from falling.  She knew the answer, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.  The word stuck in her throat and part of her wanted to choke on it and die right there on the spot.

“Answer me!”

“YES!” Martha shrieked then began sobbing freely.  “Yes.  Yes…I love him.”  When she opened her eyes, Tom looked as if he had been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of him.  “Say something,” Martha begged tearfully.  “Please!”

“I need you to get out.”  His voice was devoid of all emotion.

The shock immediately registered on her face and it took her a moment to respond.  “What?”

“Keep the ring.  Chuck it.  I don’t really care, but I want you out of my house…and out of my life.”

“Tom, we need to talk about this.”  She reached for him.

“No.”  Tom stepped away from her.  “The time for talking is long gone.  You can come back for your stuff tomorrow, but right now I can’t even stand to look at you.”

“Please…”

Tom closed his eyes.  “Martha, I swear.  If you don’t get out now, I’m gonna pick you up and throw you out myself.”

Martha sniffed quietly and dried her face on her hands.  She took a minute before moving.  She had been waiting…praying that he would change his mind, but the change didn’t come and she honestly never expected it to.  All roads had led to this moment.  She had made more mistakes than she could count.  Now she had to move forward and learn to live with the consequences of her actions.

Martha put her shoes back on.  She grabbed her purse, her mobile and all the essentials that were in the immediate area.  She didn’t want to dawdle, both for her own benefit as well as Tom’s sake.

The night air had a chill to it and Martha realised that she had forgotten her coat.  Even now, in all her misery, she could see the humour.  She was out in the cold literally and figuratively.  She hugged herself as she roamed aimlessly.  She had to go somewhere.  Not to her mum’s.  That was a conversation she wasn’t in the mood for.  Tish was a no as well.

There was only one place she could go.  It was somewhere safe with the warm and waiting arms of someone that loved her unconditionally.  Before long, she was standing outside her would be saviour’s door.  She knocked gently and made a half-hearted attempt not to cry.  When the door opened, Martha threw herself into Molly’s arms.

“Martha?” Molly said.  Her voice was fraught with concern as she caressed her back.  “What happened?”

“He ditched me,” Martha cried.  “Tom broke up with me.  The wedding is off.”


End file.
